Baker Institute Blog » paramilitary forcehttp://blog.chron.com/bakerblog
Insight and analysis from the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy at Rice UniversityThu, 30 Jul 2015 17:44:34 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.2.2The benefits of a paramilitary force in Mexicohttp://blog.chron.com/bakerblog/2013/01/the-benefits-of-a-paramilitary-force-in-mexico/
http://blog.chron.com/bakerblog/2013/01/the-benefits-of-a-paramilitary-force-in-mexico/#commentsFri, 04 Jan 2013 19:28:12 +0000http://blog.chron.com/bakerblog/?p=4468http://blog.chron.com/bakerblog/2013/01/the-benefits-of-a-paramilitary-force-in-mexico/feed/8Mexico, drugs and a possible way forwardhttp://blog.chron.com/bakerblog/2012/07/mexico-drugs-and-a-way-forward/
http://blog.chron.com/bakerblog/2012/07/mexico-drugs-and-a-way-forward/#commentsSat, 28 Jul 2012 12:30:32 +0000http://blog.chron.com/bakerblog/?p=3317If Mexico implements president-elect Enrique Peña Nieto’s proposed paramilitary force (gendarmerie) composed of 40,000 former soldiers, the success of the force and its impact upon drug-related violence will depend on its funding levels and initial selection process. The goal is laudable: remove the military from an essentially civilian police function by creating a force capable of fighting Mexican organized crime groups.]]>http://blog.chron.com/bakerblog/2012/07/mexico-drugs-and-a-way-forward/feed/3Recycling a failed idea in Mexicohttp://blog.chron.com/bakerblog/2012/07/recycling-a-failed-idea-in-mexico/
http://blog.chron.com/bakerblog/2012/07/recycling-a-failed-idea-in-mexico/#commentsFri, 27 Jul 2012 12:30:39 +0000http://blog.chron.com/bakerblog/?p=3278In light of the lack of clarity about the force, we must consider two important issues. The first is Mexico’s experience with such forces, and the second is the set of political constraints that will complicate the creation of a National Guard. On the first issue, it must be said that Mexico's experience with special police forces is, at best, discouraging. Many mayors and governors, as well as the federal government, have created special forces to fight drug cartels — only to see them become corrupt, ineffectual and eventually dismantled.]]>http://blog.chron.com/bakerblog/2012/07/recycling-a-failed-idea-in-mexico/feed/0Not your father’s National Guardhttp://blog.chron.com/bakerblog/2012/07/not-your-fathers-national-guard/
http://blog.chron.com/bakerblog/2012/07/not-your-fathers-national-guard/#commentsThu, 26 Jul 2012 12:30:07 +0000http://blog.chron.com/bakerblog/?p=3178The National Guard for Mexico would be nothing like our National Guard. Actually, even the Mexican army can hardly be considered much more than an internal security force, but perhaps one better suited for the barracks than the streets most of the time. The National Guard Peña Nieto speaks of would be more a gendarmerie, a sort of national paramilitary police force, with military organization and equipment, but also typically the capacity to arrest lawbreakers.
]]>http://blog.chron.com/bakerblog/2012/07/not-your-fathers-national-guard/feed/4A strategy shift in Mexico’s drug war?http://blog.chron.com/bakerblog/2012/07/violence-in-mexico-is-a-paramilitary-force-the-answer/
http://blog.chron.com/bakerblog/2012/07/violence-in-mexico-is-a-paramilitary-force-the-answer/#commentsWed, 25 Jul 2012 12:30:02 +0000http://blog.chron.com/bakerblog/?p=3086The establishment of a paramilitary force could be the middle ground between using quasi-military forces instead of civilian police forces to confront heavily armed criminal gangs. Peña Nieto’s proposed paramilitary police force would be larger than the current federal police, numbering approximately 40,000 troops, would ostensibly increase intelligence gathering and patrols in conflict zones, and would be composed of soldiers who had already been tested during the Calderón administration. ]]>http://blog.chron.com/bakerblog/2012/07/violence-in-mexico-is-a-paramilitary-force-the-answer/feed/2